CMI reflects which aspect of hospital metrics?

• A. The hospital's budget.
• B. The average patient age.
• C. Overall complexity of cases and resource use.
• D. The number of admissions.

Answer: (C)

CMI, or Case Mix Index, measures how complex and resource-intensive the hospital’s patient population is. It combines the severity and comorbidity of cases with the amount of care they typically need, often through DRG weights attached to each discharge. When a hospital treats more high-severity or resource-demanding cases, the average weight rises, and so does the CMI. This isn’t about the budget, patient age, or simply how many patients were admitted; it specifically reflects the mix and intensity of cases the hospital handles. A hospital with mostly straightforward, low-complexity cases will have a lower CMI, while one treating more complex, resource-heavy cases will have a higher CMI.